Worlds Apart
by Miss E Charlotte
Summary: After a few incidents that has her shaken up, Taylor returns home looking for some normalcy, but her life spirals even more out of control when she discovers her mother has been keeping life changing secrets from her and the best friend she could always count on disappears for days, then returns with a new dog and tales about spies and a wealthy villain by the name of Valentine.
1. My World

**01; My World**

Gary Unwin, or Eggsy, as he liked to go by, doesn't have much in his life. From an early age, he was dealt a shitty hand and he was convinced if it wasn't for bad luck, he wouldn't have any luck at all. When he was a young boy, he unexpectedly lost his father, forcing him to step up to be the man of the house and take care of his grieving mother.

It wasn't always easy- actually if he was being honest, it was never easy. He never knew what he was supposed to be doing, but he was doing his best and he thought they could make it on their own; apparently, his mother thought differently when she brought home a man named Dean one day who had promised to take care of her.

Unfortunately, his idea of care was controlling them and raising his fist if they disagreed. The only good thing to come out of their marriage was the birth of his half-sister, who he loved dearly and would do anything to protect her.

Standing in the middle of his small bedroom, he glanced around to take in the posters on the wall and few basic pieces of furniture; a twin bed against one wall with a striped comforter that was a little too short for him and a set of thin sheets stretched over a lumpy mattress.

Beside the bed was a small table on wobbly legs that held an old picture of his father, a lamp and an alarm clock. The table was so old, he had no doubt if he ever slammed his hand down on the clock to stop it from ringing, the weak table would crumble to the floor.

On the other side of the room was a two-door wardrobe that held the few shirts and jeans he owned. He could have sworn at one point the cupboard was a dark wood color, but now it was so faded he wondered if maybe he just imagined it. He also had an old desk and a computer that was mostly for show now since he didn't use it much anymore.

Walking toward that side of the room, he walked past the cupboard and came to a stop in front of a full-length mirror. He avoided looking at himself for a moment and instead ran his gaze over the books and knickknacks cluttering the shelves of the bookcase beside the mirror.

When his eyes landed on a small matchbox car, a small smile tugged at his lips as he reached out to grab the red sports car with his best friend, Taylor, on his mind.

She had given him the toy years ago- it was actually the first thing she had ever given him and even though it was basically a joke, he kept it. Any time he looked at it, he could remember everything that led up to her giving it to him.

The two had only just started hanging out and he had accidentally overheard her singing along to one of her favorite songs in her bedroom one afternoon before she slammed the door in his face.

After the initial embarrassment wore off, she slowly opened the door and peeked her head out, expecting him to laugh or make fun of her, but instead, he was impressed and supportive- telling her she had a beautiful voice and would make millions off of that voice one day. He made her promise she would buy him a sports car since he was the first one to discover her. She laughed and promised she would, then a week later gave him the toy car as a stand-in until she could buy him the real thing.

A soft chuckle escaped as he placed the toy back on the shelf and his eyes scanned over all the other knickknacks and trinkets she had given him over the past five years of their friendship; everything was either some kind of inside joke between the two or had some kind of special meaning for them.

This small part of his room was his favorite, it was basically a Taylor corner- a place he could stand and think of some of the best moments of his life.

The only thing he didn't have on the shelves were pictures of his best friend- those he kept on his phone, which he always kept on him. He had a bad habit of snapping a picture when she was looking away or not paying attention to him, but as soon as she caught him, she would scoff and slap his arm- demanding he delete it now. He would laugh and assure her he would, then always 'forget' to delete it later.

Those pictures were always his favorite of her, but he kept 'em to himself, not wanting to chance his stepfather or one of his thugs to come across 'em. She was one of the rare good things in his life and he wanted to keep her separate from his home life.

Pushing Taylor from his mind, he turned toward the mirror, finally looking at his reflection. Right away his eyes went down to the medal around his neck- his most prized possession.

He still remembered the day seventeen years ago when an unfamiliar man arrived at their house to tell them that his father was never coming home again. The man gave him the medal and told him to take care of it. He didn't know why, but he knew it was something important and that he should listen to the man.

He had overheard the man tell his mother that there was a number on the back they could call if they ever needed a favor. There were many times in his life that he was tempted to call the number to ask for a favor- to plead for someone to come save himself, his mother and baby sister, but he wasn't naïve enough to think someone was gonna swoop in and save them all, it was all up to him somehow.

In the beginning, he tried to help his family in an honest way; first, with scoring high in school and gymnastics- his coach was even talking about the Olympics, but he had to give that up thanks to his asshole of a stepdad. With nowhere else to turn, he turned to drugs and petty crime for a while, then with Taylor's encouragement, he joined the Royal Marines.

He tried to turn his life around- he wanted to make Taylor and his mother proud, but the latter couldn't handle it. She went mental, convinced she was gonna lose her son like her husband, so he dropped out and returned home- meaning he returned to the life he knew the best; the life of crime.

Hearing his mother calling him from the sitting room, he was pulled out of his thoughts and tucked the medal under his shirt to keep it well hidden and protected. Turning away from the mirror, he went to the bedroom door and let out a heavy sigh before walking out of it.

He had a feeling Dean and at least one of his thugs were in the other room just like always. He wished he could have just stayed in his room or sneak out the door, but he had to see what his mother needed first. He might not always agree with her life choices, but he vowed a long time ago to always be there for her and to take care of her.

Coming to a stop in the room, he slipped his hands into his jacket pocket as he waited to see what his mother, Michelle, wanted.

"Got any rizla, babe?" Michelle asked.

"No," he simply stated, trying to avoid even looking at the others in the room. Maybe if he could pretend they weren't there he could keep his temper in check, but that plan was shot to hell once Dean opened his mouth.

"Why don't you do your mum a favor, go down to the shop and get some."

"Get 'em yourself," Eggsy popped off.

"Oi. What have I said to you about speaking to Dean like that?" Michelle questioned her son with a sigh. She was tired from constantly keeping the two from fighting, she hated when Dean yelled at her son or laid a hand on him, but she knew she wasn't strong enough to stop him. Her only option was to try to keep Eggsy from pissing Dean off- something he was good at.

"Three's a crowd, innit?" Eggsy scoffed as he finally glanced over at the other man in the room- one of Dean's friends. Looking back over at Dean and Michelle, he added, "Why don't Dean's poodle go?"

"I'll tell you what," Dean began to say as he pulled money out of his pocket. He held it out to Eggsy and added, "Why don't you take this, go and get some rizlas, get yourself some sweets? And while you're gone, we'll show your mother how three can be good company."

Eggsy balled his fists inside his jacket pockets, wishing he could punch the smirk off of Dean's face, but he knew it would just make things worse. Instead, he reluctantly stepped forward to grab the money from Dean's hand and shoved it into his pocket as his mother thanked him.

Seeing Dean begin to kiss his mother, he turned his head then heard his baby sister start to cry. He walked over to the playpen she was in, then bent down to grab the dummy that had fallen out of her mouth and placed it back where it belonged. He quietly spoke to her, flashing her a genuine smile, then stood up and glanced back over at his mother when she let out a giggle, causing him to roll his eyes before he turned and left the flat.

•••

After leaving the shop, he swung back by the flat to an empty room. His sister was now sleeping in the playpen and between the hushed voices and closed door of his mother's room he had a pretty good idea what was going on in there- which was only confirmed when he heard the unmistakable sound of a bed squeaking, causing him to be sick to his stomach. He quickly turned and left again, heading for the local pub, knowing a couple of his friends would be there.

He had just crossed the street, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the building when he heard a familiar voice call out his name- one he hadn't expected to hear so soon, and one that never failed to put a smile on his face no matter the situation.

With a grin in place, he spun around and saw Taylor glance both ways before crossing the dark road. He could hear the sound of her ankle boots hitting the pavement before catching a glimpse of her from the light of the lamp post as she picked up the pace to catch up to him.

Feeling a slight breeze, he saw her wrap the jacket she had on tighter around her- a jacket he quickly recognized as his own that she borrowed the last time she was home, but never gave back.

He chuckled and shook his head as he imagined all of the clothes of his she probably still owned. In the years they had been friends, she had borrowed a lot from him; hats, shirts, jumpers and jackets, even his thick, heavy socks when she was cold. He figured it was mostly his fault to begin with since it was his idea the first time she wore something of his years ago. His way of hoping she would be more accepted at school and it would stop the bullying.

After she moved to London with her mother after her father's death, she didn't make friends fast. Being the new girl at school, who was a bit on the nerdy side complete with glasses and an American accent, she was picked on often, something he couldn't just stand by and watch happen.

One day, after seeing a group of mean girls pushing her around and taunting her with crude names, he rushed over to them when one of the girls knocked Taylor's books out of her hands. They landed on the floor with a loud thud, calling attention to all the other students standing around who watched in silence as he came to a stop beside Taylor and told the group of girls to fuck off. They all shot a look at Taylor, promising her they would deal with her later before they shuffled down the hall.

Taylor had turned her head to the side to look at him with a surprised look- her brown eyes wide as she silently watched him bent down to pick up her books. He flashed her his famous smirk before asking if she was okay. She nodded her head, not trusting her voice to speak, then held out her hands for her books, but was even more surprised when he held onto the books and offered to walk her to class just in case.

"You-You don't have to," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"S'okay." He shrugged. "Got nothing better to do."

"Thanks," she said, her voice sounding a little stronger as she began to slowly walk down the hallway.

"On one condition..." he suddenly said before he turned to face her, taking a step backward for every step forward she took.

Her steps faltered, fear shot through her as she worried what he wanted in return. "Do you- I could help you study," she offered the only thing she could think of to pay him back.

"I have all A's," he said back, the cocky smirk back on his face.

"Oh," she breathed out, her heart racing in her chest.

Her eyes traveled down his body and back up as her mouth went dry. It's not that he was bad looking- she had no problem admitting to herself that he was cute, but she had no doubt she wasn't the type he normally went for. She knew that because she was the type no boy went for. She was fifteen and had never been kissed or even on a date. She was convinced she would die a virgin- which most days she told herself she was okay with since she wasn't the type of girl to just give that away anyways.

A chuckle escaped his lips as he read the expression on her face. With a shake of the head, he said, "Not that, dirty bird."

"I-I wasn't...that's not-" she stuttered, her face turning beet red, which only caused him to laugh harder.

"All I wanted was a name, luv."

"Oh," she said, dropping her head and squeezing her eyes shut, feeling even more embarrassed. She suddenly wished the floor would open and swallow her whole, but once she realized her prayers were not gonna be answered and he was still standing in front of her waiting for an answer, she tilted her head up to look at him before adding, "It's Taylor."

"Eggsy," he said, motioning to himself. He held out his arm for her to take and added, "Now, let's get you to class, Taylor."

That day started a tradition with them as he began to walk her to class every day and even walking her home after she mentioned to him that the group of mean girls followed her home one day and threw rocks at her back the whole time. As the rest of the year went on, the two only became closer- she quickly became the third most important girl to him with his mother and baby sister also being on that list. The two were inseparable until they graduated and she went off to a nearby university.

The last thing either one wanted to do was leave the other; the two had been a constant in each other's lives the last few years, and even though she was going to be less than an hour away, that was still further away than they were used to.

He could still remember the day she left, she stood in front of him slightly shaking from the silent tears falling down her face. When she had dropped her head, he stepped closer to her and laid his hands on either side of her face. Feeling the moisture on her face caused his own eyes to water.

Knowing she needed that extra push, he lifted her head and rested his forehead against hers as he reminded her this wasn't the end- she was still his best girl and she always would be. He promised her they would keep in touch while she was at university and he went into the Royal Marines.

His stint in the Royal Marines didn't last as long as he planned, but he at least kept his promise to her for the most part. He didn't call her as much as he wanted since he didn't want to hold her back from all the new experiences she would be facing. He always felt like he wasn't good enough to be in her life anyway, so the last thing he wanted to do was ruin this for her. He could never just cut her out of his life though because there was a small selfish part of him that needed what her presence offered- she was good, she was pure and she was light; all things he wasn't.

With the way his night was heading, he definitely needed that now- which was why he didn't wait for her to reach him and began to walk toward her to wrap his arms around her. Instantly he felt all those shitty thoughts temporary leaving his mind; for the moment he didn't think about his shitty home life and how he constantly worried about his mother and sister or think about all the ways he wished he could get back at Dean for all the abuse they had to endure daily- for this short moment with her in his arms, everything felt right.

He squeezed her tight, letting out a grunt as he lifted her off the ground, then placed her feet back on the ground. He took in a deep breath and could almost swear even the air was suddenly different when she was around.

"When'd you get in?" Eggsy questioned while he took a small step back to take her all in.

It always boggled his mind how much she had changed, yet stayed the same, in the last few years since school ended. Her hair was longer and a lighter blonde shade, her glasses were traded for contacts and she had picked up better fashion senses, but that sweet girl who made him feel things he had never felt before was still there- even if those feelings were locked tightly away since he couldn't tell her how he really felt.

"About an hour ago." With a laugh, she added, "I hung out with mom for a bit, but she could see it on my face, and told me to come see you."

He nodded his head, a chuckle escaping his lips at her words. Her mother, Kate, wasn't stupid, she knew how important the two young adults were to each other and she was supportive of it- something that took him some time to get used to since he wasn't used to parents accepting him. He was forever grateful for the times Kate invited him to stay for dinner or just hang out when he needed to escape the most.

"You up for going down to the pub?" he asked as he nodded in the direction of the place he was headed to. "Ryan and Jamal are waiting."

When he saw her scrunch up her face and open her mouth, he quickly cut her off, "I know you're not a fan of 'em, but it ain't that bad." As she debated the offer, he stepped forward to stand beside her and bump his shoulder against hers. "Come on, I'll buy you a pint and you can tell me about uni."

"Fine," she groaned- like she had just made the most difficult decision of her life.

Turning her head to look at him, she released a chuckle to let him know she was just joking around. He playfully rolled his eyes and laughed along with her until he noticed a slight discoloring under her eye.

"Hold it, what's that?" he asked as he grabbed her chin and turned her head back toward him when she had turned away from him.

"It's nothing," Taylor said, pulling her face away and turning her back toward him.

"It's not nothing. It's a bruise, innit?" Eggsy stated as he grabbed her arm and turned her back to face him. Grabbing her chin again, he tilted her head side to side to get a closer look at it under the light from the lamp post.

When she gave him a small nod, answering his question from before, he added, "How did it get there then?"

"It's really nothing, Eggsy. I just tripped on the way to class recently," she lied.

"Fuck, Tay," he swore, his anger overtaking him. He wasn't stupid, after seeing his stepdad hit his mother more than once through the years, as well as himself- he knew what kind of bruise it really was.

"Don't get like this, Unwin," she said, folding her arms across her chest and shooting him a warning. The last thing she wanted to do was fight with him; she had always hated fighting with him, but somehow that didn't stop them from arguing on and off through the years. She was never shy about calling him out on something and he was usually too stubborn to back down.

He knew she meant business and wanted the subject dropped when she used his last name; just like he knew he should take the hint and let it go, but he couldn't do that.

Ignoring the look she gave him, he questioned, "Who was it?"

"Eggsy-"

"Who was it?" he cut her off to ask again.

"It really doesn't matter anymore." Motioning toward her eye, she added, "After this, it was over. The end."

He saw her wrap her arms around herself and if he had to guess it was more for protection than anger this time. Her anger might be going away, but his anger was still very present, it was so distracting he barely heard her soft tone when she mentioned she told the guy to never contact her again.

He was glad to hear that she stood up for herself, but that wasn't enough for him- he needed to do something and the jerk that laid a hand on her needed to pay for that.

"Give me a name, Tay," he demanded. "I'm gonna smash his face in."

"No, you're not," she said back with a shake of the head.

"The hell I'm not-"

"No!" she cut him off. "Eggsy, you're already walking a fine line right now because of your 'extracurricular activities'."

"Is that how it is then?" he asked angrily. He didn't mean to snap at her, but he was too pissed off to stop himself. "You come here to judge me 'cause I didn't get to attend a fancy uni like you?"

"No, of course not!" she snapped back. "Damn it, Eggsy, you know I would never do that. But, I also know you and, god, you're so smart, you could have went a different route-"

"No, I can't and you know why!" he interrupted. "I couldn't just leave my mum. You know how bad she got when I left for the Marines-"

"I know, you're right. You're right," she called out as she threw up her hands in surrender. This was exactly why she didn't want to tell him about the bruise to begin with because she knew it would turn into an argument.

Blowing out a breath, her tone was honest as she said, "You're right, I'm sorry. I just want more for you, Eggsy. You deserve the world."

"I have you, Tay," he said, causing her to smile. Reaching out to playfully tap her nose, he added, "That's all I need in my world."

"Then that's a pretty sad world," she said back, only half joking.

"Not to me," he said with a short shake of the head.

Eggsy might not have much in his life, but he had Taylor- the one thing he knew he could always count on because she would always be there. She was his world.

•••

 _A/N; For anyone who hasn't read one of my stories before, I kinda follow along with the canon storyline, but things might get changed at times to fit the ideas I have planned. I also try to keep canon characters in character as best as I can, but again, things might change at times to fit my ideas._

 _You can follow me on tumblr (missecharlotte) for edits, videos and anything else made to go along with this story._

 _Thank you to anyone who read this chapter, I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I can. Also big thanks to my bestie, Sage Londyn, for the story cover, I love it!  
_

 _Happy reading!_  
 _xx_


	2. Not So Joy Ride

**02; Not So Joy Ride**

The two friends walked down the pavement, making small talk and getting caught up until they arrived at the pub, Black Prince.

Eggsy was never a big fan of the place since Dean and his thugs hung out there, but unfortunately, it was the only decent place to drink in walking distance. Plus, it was hard to find any place nearby that Dean and his crew weren't a part of. It was something he just had to get used to.

Reaching out to open the door, Eggsy motioned for Taylor to walk in first, then came in behind her. He glanced around to look for his other friends and noticed they haven't arrived yet.

He turned to ask Taylor if she wanted to wait at the bar and saw her shiver for a moment when the door slammed shut behind them and caused a cold gust of air to pass by them.

When she saw him looking at her from the corner of her eye, she turned her head toward him and gave him a shrug. "It's fucking freeze."

"Jacket not doing it for you?" he questioned with a smirk. "It looks warm. Matter of fact, it also looks a bit familiar too. Have I seen it before?"

She playfully rolled her eyes at his comment, then said, "Yes, okay, it's your jacket, Eggsy."

"This is why we can't have nice things," he said with a dramatic sigh.

"Oh, whatever." She chuckled, then pointed a finger at him, "This is your fault. You left it at my house."

Eggsy scoffed and shook his head. "No, you nick it last time you were home."

"That is so untrue, Eggsy. I borrowed it, not stole it," she pointed out.

"Is it really borrowing if you never return it?" he teased.

"Fine, here," she said with a loud sigh as she went to remove the jacket until he laid a hand on her arm to stop her.

"Don't. I'm joking, Tay." Shooting her a wink, he added, "It looks better on you anyhow."

Taylor wrapped the coat tighter about her body and felt her cheeks heat up at his compliment. After all the teasing about the jacket, she felt like she didn't need it anymore when he laid a hand on the small of her back to lead her to the bar and felt a warmth spread throughout her body.

Leaning on the counter, Eggsy grabbed the barman's attention to order two pints of their favorite, then turned his head to look at her and shake his head when he saw her remove the jacket and drape it over her arms.

"Now she takes it off." He chuckled.

"I'm hot," she pointed out with a shrug.

He raised his eyebrows and worked hard not to check her out. He knew she meant it the other way, but she did look hot in a pair of tight black jeans, ankle boots, and low-cut blouse. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell her what he thought, instead he changed the subject.

"How long you here for?"

Instead of answering his question about when she would go back to school, she shrugged her shoulders and folded her arms across her chest while glancing around the room. He knew it was her way of avoiding, but he wasn't going to let it go. She should know by now he was too stubborn to let something go when it came to her.

"That ain't an answer, Tay," he said, turning more toward her and resting his elbow on the counter.

Placing his head in his hand, he continued to watch her and rolled his eyes at how hard she was trying to avoid looking at him. He knew it would eventually annoy her enough that she would answer him, he just had to wait her out a few more minutes.

With a huff, she finally turned her head to look at him. "I don't know."

"How do you not know?"

"Because I don't know if I'm going back or not, okay?"

"Why?" he asked as he raised his head and dropped his arm onto the counter.

"It's not the school for me," she stated as she gave him another shrug and avoided looking at him again; a clear sign to him that she was lying.

"It's the bruise, innit?" he quietly asked, leaning toward her to keep the conversation private. "You told him to leave you alone, right? Has he?"

"I thought we decided not to talk about this, Unwin," she said, shooting him a quick look.

"No, you decided. I would very much love to talk about this," he said back.

When she looked away to avoid him again, his anger got the better of him. Slamming his fist on the counter, he hissed, "Damn it, Tay, look at me!"

"Calm down!" she scolded, her eyes shifted around the room, noticing a few patrons sitting at the bar looking over at them.

"Calm down?" he repeated. "Are you fucking mad? Someone hit you, Tay-"

"Shh!" Cutting her eyes at him, she added, "Drop it, Unwin. Now!"

Seeing the front door open from the corner of her eye, she jerked her head to the side and saw Ryan and Jamal walk in, talking loud and laughing about something. Nodding over toward them, she added, "Besides, your friends are here."

"This ain't done," Eggsy whispered in her ear as the barman sat two glasses in front of them.

Tossing some money down, he roughly grabbed his glass from the counter and ignored the bit that spilled onto his hand. He wiped the liquid onto his pants, then smiled at his friends and gave them a slap of the hand, before leaning forward in a half hug.

Taylor rolled her eyes and grabbed her drink. She had a feeling it was gonna be a long, stressful night.

It's not that she hated his friends or they were that bad, they were just a bit rowdy at times and not the most mature, and when Eggsy was around them he had a habit of making certain decisions he wouldn't have usually made. They were a part of his crew when he turned to a life of crime, but she had to admit they stayed loyal to him when he left for the Marines and tried to straighten his life out- which said a lot about them, but still, her main concern was them pulling him back into something.

Minutes later, the four sat at a table; Taylor mostly sipped her drink and kept her mouth shut while Ryan and Jamal took control of the conversations. She noticed Eggsy mostly sat back in his chair with his arms crossed, which was a clear sign that he was still pissed off at her shutting him down earlier.

He couldn't stand the thought of someone hurting her and it made him feel helpless- a feeling he always hated. How the hell could he protect her if he didn't even know who he needed to protect her from?

"What is it with you two?" Ryan questioned Eggsy and Taylor, who was sitting on the other side of the table with their chairs pushed far away from each other. Which was unusual for the best friends who usually sat so close together they could basically share the same chair.

"Lover spat?" Jamal added with a laugh.

As Eggsy shook his head, Taylor spoke up, "No. No kind of spat." Taking a swallow of her drink- drinking most of it all at once- she sat the glass down and added, "I'm just enjoying my drink and contemplating on getting another one."

"Good plan. Get good and plastered tonight," Ryan said. "Perhaps you should get something stronger next time."

Taylor looked from Ryan to Jamal, seeing both of them having identical grins, then turned her attention to Eggsy, who was trying to hide a smirk from behind his glass.

Turning her head back to look at Ryan, she asked, "What did you mean by that?"

"Meant nothing by it," he said back with a shrug.

She kept her eyes on Ryan and had a really good feeling she knew exactly what he was talking about, and if she was right- she was gonna murder Eggsy.

When a new song began to play on the jukebox, Jamal let out a low whistle, causing her to look over at him. He pointed toward the jukebox and asked, "You like that?"

"It's okay," she answered slowly and narrowed her eyes at him, knowing what was coming next.

"Perhaps there's a guitar lying around...and you can hum a few bars." Jamal snickered.

With wide eyes she jerked her head to the side and snapped at Eggsy, "You told them?"

"You mean did our boy tell us that you got completely shitfaced and serenaded him?" Jamal questioned before letting out a laugh.

"No, no, no. That is _not_ how it happened!" Taylor exclaimed as she pointed at each boy at the table.

The last time she was home, her mom and stepfather, Thomas, had gone on an overnight trip, leaving her alone for the night. Eggsy had come by to keep her company and the two had grabbed a bottle of Thomas' whisky. After several drinks, she had began to play a few of her favorite songs.

"I was playing my guitar earlier- before Eggsy even got there- and later when he saw it, he asked if I would play something." Cutting her eyes to her best friend, she said, "I cannot believe you told them!"

"It slipped out," Eggsy said before taking a sip of his drink.

He honestly didn't mean to tell them about the private concert she gave him, it did slip out one night while he was gushing about how talented she was.

Outside of her family, he was the only one who has heard her play. He had tried several times to get her to perform at an open mic night, but she was always too intimidated to get up in front of a crowd of people, so until he could help her feel confident enough to do that, bragging about her talent is all he could do.

Taking a sip of his drink, he thought about what happened later that night between them- thankfully that didn't slip out when he told his mates the story, that was something he would never share with anyone.

As that night went on and she drank more, she took him by surprise when she leaned forward and began to kiss him. Next thing he knew she was straddling him and moaning against his lips about how bad she wanted him, causing a certain part of his body to come alive. He wanted nothing more than to tangle his hands in her blonde hair and drag her closer to him. If it were up to him, he would put his lips to work and teach her a thing or two, but not like this, not when she was that plastered.

When he had felt her hands grabbing his shirt, he had to force himself to push them away- which was even more difficult when her hand slipped under his shirt and he felt her fingertips graze his stomach. A swear word had slipped past his lips, sounding more like a moan as his head fell back against her headboard. When she shifted around on his lap, he quickly sat up and whispered in her ear that this couldn't happen before he pressed his lips against the side of her head and waited for his heart to stop racing and to catch his breath.

Seeing a hurt look on her face afterward destroyed him, but he explained to her that she had too much to drink and needed to rest. He had asked her several times if she understood until she finally nodded her head and moved off of his lap.

Needing a few more minutes for certain body parts to calm down, he had gone into the kitchen to grab water for her and by the time he made it back to her room she had passed out. He had looked down at her for a moment and felt like a saint for having the courage to turn her down. He had many dreams before that started just like that night, but she was always sober and was aware of what was going on.

After making sure she was out for the night, he had draped a blanket over her and dropped a kiss on top of her head, then went into the living room. He had slept on the couch that night and was relieved when she didn't remember any it the next morning- making him assume she didn't even mean it anyways.

She just had too much whisky and got a little frisky- it happened sometimes.

"Okay. I'm definitely grabbing another drink," Taylor mumbled as she drank the last of her beer, before standing up from the table.

"Stay away from whisky," Eggsy joked, then groaned when she slapped him in the back of the head.

"It slipped," she teased as she stuck her tongue out at him on the way to the bar.

Eggsy chuckled at her antics and heard his other two friends hooting and hollering at her comment, then while they started a new topic of conversation, his eyes followed Taylor across the room and watched as she ordered another drink from the barman.

His drink was long forgotten as he leaned back in his chair and watched her chatting with some girl standing beside her. Not wanting to get busted staring at her, he dragged his eyes away and joked with his mates until he heard her laugh. He could hear her laughter over everyone else in the pub, causing him to look back over at her- wondering what had her laughing so hard.

He narrowed his eyes when he saw the girl from before was gone and a guy was standing beside Taylor now. He glanced back and forth between the two as they chatted and tried to read their lips, never realizing his friends had stopped talking and were now watching him.

"You gonna go for it?" Jamal questioned, getting his attention.

"What?" Eggsy asked confused as he looked back at his friends across the table.

"You ain't looking at her like a friend, cuz," Jamal added, nodding his head over at Taylor.

Eggsy scoffed and shook his head- the denial sounded hollow even to himself. He took a big swallow of his drink, then cleared his throat and nodded over toward her to say, "I was just checking on her. That guy talking to her seemed a bit troubled."

"So you say, bruv, but I say go for it. She's looking well fit," Ryan spoke up.

"Oi! Watch it!" Eggsy exclaimed as he shot him a look- it was the truth, but he didn't need his mate talking about her in that way.

Ryan looked over at Jamal beside him, both had a knowing smile on their faces. It was clear to them that Eggsy was feeling more than friendly feelings for Taylor. It was something they became aware of a couple of years ago when Eggsy had punched a guy for slapping her butt. Eggsy tried to brush it off as he was just protective of her- which was true- but even they could tell it was more than that.

In their opinion, there was a difference between being protective and being jealous, and Eggsy was definitely jealous anytime a guy got close to Taylor. It became a game to them, watching him flip out and try to deny there was more there.

"What's got you peeved then, cuz?" Jamal asked Eggsy, wondering what was bothering him if he wasn't up to admitting his true feelings.

Eggsy took another sip from his glass, then leaned back in the chair and folded his arms across his chest. He couldn't tell them about the bruise he discovered on Taylor, he knew she wouldn't want that information to get out, so he went to another subject that always pissed him off and he had ranted about many times before- his ass of a stepfather.

"If Dean treat your mum's so bad, why don't she leave him?" Ryan asked after he told them what happened earlier that night.

"Low self-esteem. That's her problem," Jamal answered, even though he knew the question wasn't aimed at him.

"Fuck off. Why would she have low self-esteem? Eggsy mum's well fit," Ryan pointed out with a laugh, causing Jamal to laugh along with him. Remembering his reaction to calling Taylor fit earlier, he quickly looked at Eggsy and added, "No offense, bruv."

"It's all right," Eggsy said, flashing him a quick smile. Turning serious, he added, "One of these days, I'm gonna smash his face in."

"Are you mental, cuz? He'd just get that lot to do you, and then pretend he knew nothing…" Jamal began to say as he pointed toward a table off to the side, where several of Dean's thugs were sitting. Realizing they were all now staring at them, he quietly finished, "...about it."

"Oi, you think you can chat shit about us and we won't do nothing, just 'cause our guvnor's banging Eggsy's mum?" One of the thugs, Rottweiler, said.

"Pretty much, yeah," Eggsy said with a cocky grin on his face.

Over at the bar, Taylor turned down a drink from a guy trying to hit on her, then reached into her back pocket to pull out her cell phone when she heard it beep with a new text message.

She blew out a breath, feeling her heart beating in her chest when she saw who the message was from. She thought leaving school and telling him to leave her alone would do the trick, but unfortunately, it didn't stop him from texting her constantly.

First, his text started out polite- he'd ask her nicely to text him back or give him a ring, but the longer she ignored him, the angrier he became and his text began to demand that she answer him or else. It was the same way the short time they dated, he was like two different people- as long as he got his way, he was the sweetest guy you would meet, but once she disagreed with him or did something he didn't approve of, he would snap.

She stared down at her phone and saw the other text messages coming through, one right after another one until she heard a chair scraping against the floor as it was shoved backward and the sound of angry voices.

Recognizing one of those voices, she glanced over where Eggsy and his friends were sitting and saw Eggsy standing dangerously close to one of Dean's thugs, with several others standing behind him. She could hear Jamal telling Eggsy to let it go, as he and Ryan stood behind Eggsy, but it was like their friend didn't hear a word he said, he was too focused on Rottweiler at the moment.

"Shit," Taylor muttered as she slipped the phone back into her pocket, then raced over to the small crowd. She came to a stop in front of Eggsy and laid her hands on his chest to pushed him backward a few steps.

"Come on, Eggsy, let's just walk away, okay? Let's walk away," she said, her soft tone getting through his anger and grabbing his attention.

"You boys have outstayed your welcome. Leave," Rottweiler stated toward Eggsy and the other two guys. Turning his attention to Taylor, he wrapped a hand around her arm and turned her around to face him. With a smug smile, he told her, "You can stay for a pint though, luv."

Seeing him lay a hand on her, Eggsy blew out an angry breath- which almost sounded like a low growl- as he stepped forward and grabbed her other arm to pull her toward him, causing her to slam against his chest. He glanced down at her for a minute to make sure she was okay, then jerked his head up to look at Rottweiler, his jaw clenched as he tried to control his anger.

"What?" Rottweiler scoffed when Eggsy got closer to him. He had been waiting for the day he could put the boy in his place- he swore to himself if Eggsy took a shot, he would wipe the floor with him.

"Eggsy, please," Taylor pleaded with him as she gripped his shirt and tugged on it a bit to get his attention. When his eyes slammed into hers, she softly gasped as she saw the storm of emotion in his eyes.

She gave him a short shake of the head and whispered, "Don't."

Seeing the worried look in her eyes, he blew out a breath and felt his anger slip away. He always hated it when she worried about his temper, she had seen him lose it a few times through the years and it had always frightened her. She knew most of the time he was just protecting her, and she also knew he wouldn't hurt her, but she worried about him getting in trouble or getting hurt over something stupid like a fight.

Eggsy raised his head to look at Rottweiler and said, "I'm sorry about that, bruv."

He kept one hand in his jacket pocket and slipping his other arm around Taylor to hold her against him before he turned to leave with a smirk on his face. He heard Jamal and Ryan's footsteps as they began to walk along behind him. He kept a tight hold around Taylor as they made their way through the crowded pub, only releasing her once they made it outside.

"They weren't fucking worth it, boys," Ryan said as they walked away from the building, referring to Rottweiler and the others inside.

"No, they weren't," Taylor said, agreeing with him as she slipped a jacket on and wrapped it tight around herself as a cold breeze blew around them. She turned her head to the side to look at Eggsy as he walked in step with her. "I'm really proud of you for walking away."

"Plus, you know they don't fight fair, bruv," Jamal added.

Eggsy nodded his head, agreeing with all of his friends- as much as all of them deserved a beating, he knew he had to be smart about it. The most he could have done was throw one punch before he was jumped by Rottweiler and the others. He knew his mates would have his back, but he didn't want to pull Taylor in the middle of that- besides he knew a better way to hurt Rottweiler.

When he saw Taylor shiver from the corner of his eye, he glanced over at her and asked, "Still cold?"

"I told you it's fucking freezing," she said, repeating herself from earlier.

"Why are we walking then?" he questioned as he pulled out his hand from his jacket pocket and held up a set of keys with a grin on his face- like he said, he knew a better way.

"Is that what I think it is?" Taylor asked with wide eyes as she stared at the keys.

She wasn't that surprised that he jacked his keys- she knew he had a light hand, but she was standing right there.

How the hell did he lift the keys that smoothly without her seeing anything?

"You jacked his fucking car keys, bruv?" Jamal asked with a laugh.

"Yep. Now we're gonna nick his car," Eggsy said, hitting a button to turn the alarm off.

As Ryan and Jamal ran toward the car with Eggsy, letting out a laugh and a loud cheer, Taylor stood in place and clapped her hands- like she was disciplining a dog, and called out, "Eggsy, no! Bad, Eggsy!"

"Tay, quit fucking about and get in the car," he argued.

"No!" she snapped back.

"Ryan!" Eggsy called out and pointed over to Taylor before sliding behind the wheel of the car.

Normally he wouldn't involve her with his illegal activities, but he wasn't about to leave her outside the pub alone. Especially when he had no doubt Rottweiler would come rushing out in a few minutes.

Ryan nodded his head in understanding and ran over to the blonde. Without a word, he wrapped an arm around her waist and picked her up, causing her to let out a loud squeal as her feet left the ground and she felt herself being carried toward the car.

After placing her in the passenger seat, Ryan pushed Jamal to rush him as he began to climb in the back of the car. He threw himself into the back and fell against the backseat with Jamal as Eggsy started the car.

"This is such a bad idea. A very, very bad idea," Taylor mumbled while Eggsy reach across her to grab the car door and slam it shut.

Eggsy ignored her comment as he put the car in gear and began to rev the engine. He heard his friends laughing from behind him when the rear tires began to spin and smoke began to billow out. Turning the wheel, he began to drive in slow circles, then hit the gas hard and caused the car to spin around faster.

He continued to burn donuts and let out a loud laugh when he saw the door to the building fly open before Rottweiler came spilling out yelling at him. They could faintly hear him calling out several threats, but the three boys inside the car ignored him as they began hooting and hollering while flipping Rottweiler off and making other rude hand gestures.

Taylor gasped in surprise and threw her hands out to catch herself on the dash when Eggsy suddenly slammed on the brakes. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ryan slap the headrest of the driver seat excitedly, before calling out, "Floor it, Eggsy!"

"Eggsy, don't you dare-"

"Seat belt, Tay," Eggsy cut her off.

"Damn it," she mumbled as she reached behind her to grab the seat belt and slap it across her seconds after he stomped on the gas and the car began to race down the road.

After turning onto the road by the pub, they didn't get far when they suddenly saw blue lights ahead of them getting closer. Taylor felt her body jerk forward before the seat belt caught her and she slammed back against the seat when he hit the brakes.

"You good?" Eggsy questioned as he glanced over at her for a moment, before looking back out the windshield at the cop car coming toward them.

She nodded her head to answer, too stunned to speak. As she waited for her heart to slow down, Jamal leaned forward and said, "End of the line, brah."

"Not yet," Eggsy said, throwing the car in reverse and hitting the gas, driving from the cop car backward.

"Holy shit," Taylor breathed out as they went back the way they came and flew past the pub.

She didn't say much else, just held onto the seat belt while he drove down the road, the speedometer climbing over 80 and getting higher. She squeezed her eyes shut and tuned out their laughter as Eggsy easily swerved to miss buses and other cars on the road.

Hearing the siren get closer, she cracked an eye open and felt them widen when she saw how close the cop car was. She recognized the two cops and quickly lowered her head, placing her hands over her face and hoping they didn't recognize her back since her stepfather worked in the same police station as them.

With her head still down, she tilted it a bit to the side to look at Eggsy in between her fingers and saw the huge grin on his face as he continued to expertly drive down the road. Even if she was freaking out on the inside, she had to admit she was a bit impressed that he was able to drive backward this long and couldn't help but wonder how the hell he learned to drive like that.

Sensing eyes on him, Eggsy looked away from the road for a moment to look at Taylor. He shot her a quick wink, then turned to glance over his shoulder as he turned a corner. He felt his eyes widen when he saw a small fox in the middle of the road. He swerved to miss it and lost control of the car, causing it to slam into another car and a lamp post.

Taylor felt her body jerk forward again, then jumped in surprise when the post fell on top of the car. A quick glance beside her told her that Eggsy was okay and she saw the worry in his eyes for her until she gave him a nod to let him know she was fine.

"Foxes are vermin, cuz. You should've driven it over," Jamal stated from the backseat.

Eggsy glanced in the rearview mirror to make sure his mates in the back were okay, then said, "I should've done a lot of things." Keeping his hands on the wheel, he added, "I'll sort this, get out of the car."

When no one moved, he glanced in the mirror again to yell at the two in the back, "I said get out of the fucking car!"

Jamal and Ryan didn't need to be told again. The two threw open the doors and jumped out of the backseat. They ran over to the side of the road, then paused to wait for Taylor, who made no move to open her door.

"Move," Taylor stated, causing Eggsy to snap his head to the side to look at her.

"Move?" he repeated as he lowered his eyebrows in confusion. He didn't understand what the fuck she was talking about or why she was still sitting beside him.

"Move over and let me behind the wheel," she explained. "They'll go easier on me. I'll talk to Thomas-"

"Are you fucking crazy- Get the fuck out of the car, Tay!" he yelled out as he leaned over her to push the door open.

She called out his name to argue, but he ignored her as he called out for Ryan like before. His friend instantly understood and raced back over to the car to pull Taylor out while Jamal joined them to push her head down so the cops wouldn't recognize her as they began to run away from the scene, then hid behind a building to catch their breath once they were far enough away not to be noticed.

The three had started running again until she heard an engine rev, causing her to turn around and head back. She saw Eggsy drive forward and crash into the cop car as a distraction for them to get away. When the two cops jump out of the car and approach the yellow car, she came to a quick stop.

"What is it?" Jamal asked as he and Ryan stopped running and backtracked when they noticed she did.

"We can't just leave him to deal with this alone," she argued. "We have to help."

"This helps," Ryan stated. "Us getting away, you being safe, helps."

"You know Eggsy, he'll get out of this," Jamal added.

"Yeah, but-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Jamal grabbed the back of her jacket and pulled her backward behind a building when he noticed one of the cops shining a flashlight to look for them.

"We gotta fucking go," Ryan whisper-yelled as he began to jog backward away from them. Motioning for them to follow him, he mouthed, "Let's go."

"We gotta go, luv," Jamal softly added, knowing this was hard for her to do. Seeing her hesitate, he knew exactly what to say to make her leave. He shot her a small smile and said, "It's what Eggsy wanted."

She blew out a breath and knew he was right. Eggsy wanted her far away and out of trouble, it would make things worse for him if she were to stay because he would be more concerned about her well-being then his own and she didn't want that.

Glancing around the wall, she saw one of the cops putting handcuffs on Eggsy and felt tears fill her eyes. She quickly wiped them away and muttered out a swear word, then turned back to look at Jamal.

She nodded her head toward Ryan, before they took off running to catch up with him- her stomach in knots with worry and her heart breaking as she regrettably left her best friend behind.

•••

 _A/N; Thank you to everyone who gave this story a read and to the ones who decided to follow it. Also big thanks to EleanorJames, BaDWolF89, basilbeast, GrayRobin, Guest, Rasiel Hasu and Guest for reviewing the first chapter._

 _Recently I posted a video for Taylor and Eggsy- it's on my tumblr and youtube if you wanted to check it out. My name on both is the same as on here; missecharlotte. If you have any trouble finding it, let me know and I'll link you. I'm also slowly working on a video for the story, but no clue when that'll be done. I'll let you all know tho when it's posted._

 _Happy reading!_  
 _xx_


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